A Cause To Celebrate

Our Towns

Hartford

The Hispanic Health Council observed its 20th anniversary with a festive dinner at the Hartford Hospital Education Resource Center last week.

And why not celebrate? The nonprofit agency continues to do an admirable job of breaking down the barriers to quality health care for low-income Spanish-speaking families.

Over the years, the council has been instrumental in expanding the pool of bilingual nurses and doctors, obtaining treatment and screening for tropical diseases and in helping providers better understand customs that impact on health. The council, for example, developed a midwives program.

The council has also been the conduit for education programs on AIDS, substance abuse, alcoholism, prenatal care, breast and cervical cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure. Moreover, the agency compiles research data to assist the medical community in treating those illnesses.

The idea for the council was sparked in 1972 after the death of an 8-year-old girl as she was being rushed to Hartford Hospital in a police car. Maria Gonzalez Borrero, a hospital employee at the time, and Stephen Schensul, an anthropologist with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, saw the need for an intermediary between the medical profession and the Hispanic community. It took six years for their efforts to result in creation of the health council, with Ms. Gonzalez Borrero becoming the first full-time program director.

The rest is history. Today, under the leadership of Executive Director Rolando Martinez, the council is the largest Latino community organization in southern New England. It employs 75 health care workers and occupies a bulding at 175 Main St.

It also enjoys the support of the city and state's most prominent citizens, many of whom were on hand last week to pay tribute to the council's work and wish it continued success.